Printer-friendly version (pdf)Insurance brokerage firm acquires former Waterfield building
FORT WAYNE, Ind., March 28, 2006 – Ash Brokerage Corporation (
www.ashbrokerage.com) today announced that it has purchased a 39,000 sf building at 7609 West Jefferson Boulevard and will relocate its headquarters to the facility in May. The building, in Allen County’s Midwestern Office Park, was formerly owned and occupied by Waterfield Mortgage Company. Approximately 120 workers are employed at the Ash Brokerage headquarters, with 171 total employees nationwide.
“I am very proud of the accomplishments of our staff,” said Tim Ash, President and CEO of Ash Brokerage. “We have a fantastic team of people at Ash that has enabled us to continue our strong performance and this new facility is a result of their efforts.”
“Our company has a long history in the Fort Wayne area and we are excited that this move will allow us to remain and grow in the community,” said Chris Shively, EVP of Ash Brokerage. After seven years of occupancy, Ash Brokerage has outgrown its current building at 8515 Bluffton Road. The Jefferson Boulevard building offers nearly twice the space. Plans for a new occupant for the company’s existing building have not been released. “We have been working on a new headquarters location for some time now and this building suits our needs for the foreseeable future,” said Brett Lotspeich, COO of Ash Brokerage.
Key to the move to the new building is the ability for Ash Brokerage to assume the existing Allen County real property tax abatement originally granted to Waterfield Mortgage. State law allows new owners and/or property tax payers to realize remaining abatement benefits when these types of transitions occur.
“We want to do everything possible to keep and grow companies like Ash Brokerage,” said Allen County Commissioner Marla Irving. “Utilizing the tools available to us to create economic opportunity and remove roadblocks to prosperity is important work and we’re happy to assist with this project.” The Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance is helping to coordinate local and state economic development assistance to Ash Brokerage.
“The City of Fort Wayne applauds this relocation and expansion by Ash Brokerage,” added Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard. “The economy of Northeast Indiana is built on stable companies like Ash Brokerage which offer good paying jobs to local residents and give back to the community in a variety of meaningful ways.”
About Ash Brokerage Corporation
Jim Ash founded the company in Fort Wayne in 1971 with a vision to provide superior service and product outsourcing to captive insurance agents. Tim Ash assumed the role of president over 10 years ago. Today, along with a seasoned management team, Ash provides nationwide service from its Fort Wayne operation as well as local market presence through offices in eight states (Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas). Ash Brokerage continues to focus its growth efforts on developing partnerships with independent advisors and financial institutions that are looking for value added services, sales ideas and ways to grow their business. This focus on providing business development and support services to the producer has enabled them to always put their customers’ needs first and has driven the growth of the business.